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Insect Study Merit Badge

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January, 2018

Requirements for the Insect Study merit badge:

Do the following:
1. Explain to your counselor the most likely hazards associated with exposure to ants and bees and what you should do to anticipate, help prevent, mitigate, and respond to these hazards.
2. Discuss the prevention of and treatment for health concerns that could occur while working with ants and bees, including insect bites and anaphylactic shock.
Tell how insects are different from other animals. Show the differences between insects, millipedes, and spiders.
Point out and name the main parts of an insect.
Describe the characteristics that distinguish the major orders of insects.
Do the following:
1. Observe 20 different live species of insects in their habitat. In your observations, include at least four orders of insects.
2. Make a scrapbook of the 20 insects you observe in 4a. Include photographs, sketches, illustrations, and articles. Label each insect with its common and scientific names, where possible. Share your scrapbook with your merit badge counselor.
Do the following:
1. From your scrapbook collection, select eight species of insects and identify what role they play in the ecosystem.
2. Describe three alternatives to insecticides as a way of preventing crop injury and subsequent yield loss. Explain these alternatives.
Explain the symbiotic relationship between bees and humankind. Explain what colony collapse disorder (CCD) is and some of the possible causes. Discuss how CCD affects our food supply.
Compare the life histories of a butterfly and a grasshopper. Tell how they are different.
Raise an insect through complete metamorphosis from its larval stage to its adult stage (eg, raise a butterfly or moth from a caterpillar)*.
Do ONE of the following:
1. Observe an ant colony in a formicarium (ant farm). Find the queen and worker ants. Explain to your counselor the different chambers found within an ant colony.
2. Study a hive of bees. Remove the combs and find the queen. Estimate the amount of brood and count the number of queen cells. Explain how to determine the amount of honey in the hive.
Tell the things that make social insects different from solitary insects.
Tell how insects fit in the food web of other insects, fish, birds, and mammals.
Find out about three career opportunities in insect study. Pick one and find out about the education, training, and experience required for this profession. Discuss this with your counselor, and explain why this profession might interest you.

* Some insects are endangered species and are protected by federal or state law. Every species is found only in its own special type of habitat. Be sure to check natural resources authorities in advance to be sure that you will not be collecting any species that is known to be protected or endangered, or in any habitat where collecting is prohibited. In most cases, all specimens should be returned at the location of capture after the requirement is met. Check with your merit badge counselor for those instances where the return of these specimens would not be appropriate.

Insect Study Worksheet

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Comments:

Jun 02, 2022 - Jenan El-Hifnawi

Honey bees are an entirely managed and nonnative species in the US, while we have over 4000 species of wild bees which are native to the US! Honeybees generally don't establish hives in the US on their own, they're only here because bee keepers bring hives. Some research even shows they may outcompete native bees! Supporting honeybees does little to nothing for these wild bees, which need our help! Consider supporting our native pollinator community by planting native flowers, or promote education about native pollinators! Everyone thinks of honeybees when they think of a bee, despite honeybees being vastly different biologically from all our native bee species. :)

Jul 24, 2022 - Colin Croft

Former Eagle Scout and recipient of this merit badge "back in the day"... I agree with Jenan's comments about honeybees. More generally, I believe these merit badge requirements *really* need to get a closer look and be updated (e.g. #1: hazards with ants and bees? huh? why would this relatively minor issue be a specific requirement?). Reach out to groups like Xerces Society, wildlife educators (e.g. in state game agencies, nonprofits, etc.) and get some input on updating these requirements please.

Feb 17, 2023 - Adam

I'm an entomologist and a former eagle scout and would like to echo the statements above. Scouts have the potential to become advocates conserving insects and similar species in their communities, but having the first requirement highlighted focus on how insects might cause harm to humans, particularly species that are crucial to ecosystem services and in severe decline, may not be the best direction to start. I would be interested in hearing what resources counselors use to train their scouts in this merit badge and who might be good point of contact to make recommendations for updating requirements

Apr 04, 2023 - Regina

I disagree on the previous comments that the ants/bees are not a good start or relevant. Ants and bees will be the most common insect that most people experience. In the case of ants, most don't consider the danger, and bees nearly everyone is afraid of. The requirement highlights that ant bites can be a serious issue so placing your equipment or sleeping area near ant mounds would be a big issue - I didn't know someone could be allergic to ant bites until I inadvertently stood too close to a mound during a relief moment; the sheer number of bites (which didn't register bc I was otherwise occupied/focused) was amazing and they were only tiny black ants. Later that day the bites caused enough of an issue I had to seek medical attention - never would've thought it possible unless they were red ants. With bees there is a relevant portion of the population allergic to bee stings - knowing the signs and symptoms and how to avoid is very important. The point of merit badges is to educate the youth, not assume we're all experts on these things and nature and know everything in it to be wary of or how to respect them in their environment.

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